Cool burns, camels, and funding for local farmers were on the agenda at 'Risdon Stud' as land managers Nick and Liz Suduk hosted the Southern Queensland Landscapes and Department of Resources site visit to showcase the success of the Natural Resources Investment Program 2018-2022 (NRIP).

Risdon Stud, south of Warwick, was primarily a high-intensity horse stud, but under new ownership with the Suduk family, the focus has been on restoring productivity and landscape health.

“The Suduks participated in the NRIP project, where they received on-site guidance from First Nations fire practitioner Robbie Williams from Fire Lore, for cool burning in native vegetation areas,” Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas said.

“This was their first exposure to this type of burning and they have since embarked on a journey towards building their confidence in applying it elsewhere on the property,” Ms Mylonas said.

“The NRIP project also supported livestock fencing, largely to exclude cattle from a large patch of remnant vegetation, combined with weed management in that remnant vegetation,” she said. 

“It is really difficult to muster out of the remnant vegetation, so the fencing has meant easier mustering of the cattle, as well as reduced weed spread and damage to the native vegetation in the patch.”

“Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.

“Outside of the NRIP project, they maintain a herd of agisted camels as part of their weed management strategy and experimented with fire to manage wattle regrowth,” Natasha Mylonas said.

The Suduks have experimented on their property with a diversified business model including utilising camels for weed eradication and opening up their property for tourism and camping.

“During the COVID-19 lockdowns, we were given the opportunity to find new ways to bring income into the property and find better ways of managing the land,” Liz Suduk said.

“This opened us up to the idea of cool burning, which was very different from the much quicker, hotter, and destructive techniques we were previously using,” Mrs Suduk said.

“While cool burning is a lot slower, it’s a safer and more effective method as it burns what it needs to burn and is easier to manage. Following Robbie Williams’ visit last year, we have been given the tools and knowledge to conduct safe burning on our own and this has allowed us to eliminate or nearly eliminate stubborn Black Wattle in some of our Category X country that we’ve previously struggled to clear,” she said.

“The use of camels have also helped, as they clear weeds and other pests that cattle don’t eat or fire can’t reach. They’re a funny, awkward animal, but they have a dramatically smaller impact on the land than other livestock might.”

“Cool Burning has been a far more successful method for us than anything else we’ve tried in the past,” Nick Suduk said.

“I’m spending less on diesel, I’m less dependent on looking at chemicals or other control methods, and this has been a far better way to control bushfires for us,” Mr Suduk said.



“The burning, alongside diversifying our practice, has allowed us to stay viable and to manage the land in a more productive way,” he said.

“The burning, alongside diversifying our practice, has allowed us to stay viable and to manage the land in a more productive way,” Nick Suduk said.

Staff from the Department of Resources, including Acting Manager Daniel Savill, joined SQ Landscapes’ Acting CEO Leanne Stevens, Acting Chief Operating Officer Andrew McCartney, and Project Delivery Lead Natasha Mylonas at the property south of Warwick to learn about the on-the-ground successes of the NRIP project the Suduks demonstrated.

“It was really good to see the ongoing change in land management practices that occurred because of previous investment with SQ Landscapes in the NRIP program,” Daniel Savill said.

“Seeing the change in attitude and the ability for land managers to take this knowledge and apply it has been great to see,” Mr Savill said.

“This project was funded by the NRRP, and SQ Landscapes have worked with the land managers to do a wonderful job of rebuilding our natural landscapes and assisting farmers to adopt a more sustainable practice, including at Risdon Stud,” he said.

“In 2022 we launched the Natural Resource Recovery Program (NRRP), so there is opportunity for natural resource management groups to apply for funding to do programs just like this.”

“This project was funded by the NRRP, and SQ Landscapes have worked with the land managers to do a wonderful job of rebuilding our natural landscapes and assisting farmers to adopt a more sustainable practice, including at Risdon Stud,” Dan Savill said.

SQ Landscapes Acting CEO Leanne Stevens highlighted the project’s successes and remarked that the on-ground works at Risdon Stud was just one of many recovery sites as part of the program.

“Seeing Risdon Stud take on the project so well is always great to see. We’re particularly pleased with the level of First Nations involvement in demonstrating how Cultural Burning can assist in maintaining the healthy balance between Black Wattle and other vegetation to assist land managers in maintaining a healthy landscape,” Leanne Stevens said.

“Ultimately these practices help drive healthier landscapes, particularly with the reduction of weeds and fuel loads which protect land managers from dangerous bushfires and reduce costs incurred in managing the land,” Ms Stevens said.

“We’re excited to work with land managers like the Suduks in future projects like the NRRP program which will target bare ground, reduce erosion, and improve soil infiltration,” she said.

“SQ Landscapes is very grateful for the funding we have received from the Queensland Government to make these changes a reality and without this vital support, many of the land managers we have worked with would not have seen the same level of improvement as we have seen here today.”

This project is funded by the Queensland Government’s Natural Resources Investment Program.

Learn more here: https://www.sqlandscapes.org.au/natural-resource-recovery-program